Item: 50 Ways to Survive
Rating: 8.0
Author: Katy Zane

50 Ways to Survive (Free) by Mass Threat is an adventure game that involves running from lions, dodging sharks, and avoiding automobiles. Grimmy The Grim Reaper has decided that he’s madly in love with Pat’s girlfriend. To get rid of Pat and his friends, Grimmy has made a deal with some minions to take care of them. It’s your job to help Pat and his friends make it through each level.

The movement controls for this game are unique. I usually play with a joystick or a classic gamepad. In 50 Ways To Survive, you slide your finger left or right on the left side of the screen. You tap on the right side of the screen to jump. There aren’t any specific buttons, which is awesome. Your fingers don’t get in the way when you’re on the lookout for crowns or bad guys.

There are two ways to play. You can focus on collecting all the crowns in the level, or you can blitz through to complete the level as quickly as possible. Either way will work.

There are 36 levels to play through, and there are more to come. These initial 36 levels are spread out over three chapters. There are boss levels at the end of each chapter.

The game does have several in-app purchases available. You can buy Grimmy and a brunette girl for $0.99 each. You can also buy crowns. These crowns can then be used to purchase power-ups. There are five different packages to choose from. The cheapest is 500 crowns for $1.99. The most expensive is 10,000 crowns for $29.99.

Normally, I think that in-app purchases are stupid and a huge waste of money. This time, it’s different. The app was based on the band Train’s song “50 Ways To Say Goodbye.” Train donates the proceeds from the app to Family House, which is a nonprofit organization that provides housing for the families of sick children in the University Of Benioff Children’s Hospital. I checked Train’s official website, their official Twitter feed, and their Facebook page. I also checked out Family House’s website, and Train does a lot of charity work for them. As far as I can tell, this is legitimate. So, if you feel generous and have the extra cash to spend, go ahead and purchase a few extra crowns or unlock a new character.

The game by itself is a great game to play. The levels are challenging, and you could easily be entertained for hours. The charity work behind the app just gives it an extra layer of awesomeness.

The 50 Ways To Survive app is universal, and it’s available in the App Store for FREE!